Pesach – Freedom Of The Soul

More than 3,000 years ago the Hebrew people were freed from Egyptian bondage by the mighty hand of G-d. The event served as the corner stone and birth of the Jewish nation and religion.

Throughout history Jews have observed G-d’s command to commemorate this event with the celebration of Passover. What is the message however, of this important holiday?

Our sages tell us, and we recite it every Passover in the Haggadah, “In every generation one must view him-self as though he him-self has gone out of Egypt”. The Hebrew word for Egypt is “Mitzrayim” which means “constraints”.

The eternal message of Passover, as most people already know, is about freedom, but how many of us know what freedom really is?

The Talmud states “there is no one who is free other than the one who studies the Torah”. How is this to be understood? The Torah is replete with what many would refer to as restrictions – thou shalt and thou shalt not – how can the Rabbis in all honestly call this freedom?

There are two definitions of freedom. One, is “to do what you want”, the other is “to want what you do”. It is easy to do what you want; we live in a society in which people do all kinds of things, many of which are crazy and even harmful.

However, it is not as easy to want what you do. This is to say that it is not that simple to feel good about the choices we make and things we do in the long run, after the immediate impulse and/or gratification has worn off. The lyric of a song that goes back to the 70’s says it all: “I hate myself for loving you.”

Our significance as a human race transcends the scope of mortal existence. It extends beyond the realm of the “physical-self,” including the collective physical-self.

Because man is more then a physical entity, he must nurture more than his physical-self. Man’s freedom must encompass a higher cause, one that is not physical but spiritual in nature.

The pursuit of spirituality and higher purpose is, not a matter of luxury – it is not merely an exercise for those with extra time on their hands, or for those who are naturally inclined to ponder the deeper reality of things. It is rather a human necessity. Only when acting at the behest of a supra human being can one achieve the epitome of human actualization and freedom.

Our souls need spiritual nourishment much as our bodies need food. This notion is portrayed in an analogy offered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe:

Self-realization is clearly a subjective phenomenon that varies in accordance with the needs of each particular entity. A plant for example, derives its accomplishment through conditions that are most conducive to organic growth – earth, water, air, light, etc. Yet, plants have no need or desire for such things as mobility and the like.

To the animal, however, the plant’s level of freedom and comfort zone is anything but satisfactory. An animal can never be contented with water and air alone while constrained to a distinct location. An animal requires the independence of mobility. Freedom in its eyes must contain the ability to roam freely from place to place.

By the same token, what might be considered optimum conditions for the animal can be very restrictive to the human being. Should man, for instance, be granted all his material needs but be denied any form of intellectual nourishment, he would no doubt find the situation highly repressive. As an intellectual creature, freedom in man’s eyes must include the ability for intellectual stimulation and development.

The same is true, albeit less conspicuous, with man’s need for higher spiritual purpose. This is to say that all the non-spiritual matter in the world cannot satisfy the human craving for spiritual substance. The higher spiritual dimension within man will only reach completion when its spiritual aspirations are nurtured.

In short, an essential component of the human composition is spiritual consciousness. This consciousness, commonly referred to as “soul,” has its own set of needs. To ignore our spiritual dimension is no different than to ignore the human need for food and water or to neglect the human necessity for intellectual stimulation. Man can never be truly free if he does not care for his higher essence – his soul.